Add another state to the list that will be legalizing marijuana use for medical reasons. The New York Senate voted 49-10 on June 19th to pass a bill (known as the “Compassionate Care Act”) legalizing access to medical marijuana in NYS. This Bill has been passed by both houses of the Legislature and is supported by Governor Cuomo.

Now that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo is expected to sign the bill into law later this week, the focus has shifted from getting the bill passed to how it is going to be implemented. Gov. Cuomo has until July 5th to sign the bill, and an 18-month window will begin as soon as the bill is signed to begin creating regulations for the program, award contracts to grow the marijuana and decide what conditions should be included in the list of people who will have access to the drug.

Although other states are legalizing marijuana for medical use, the program that will be implemented in New York is going to look a little different than those in other states. For example, New York is going to place restrictions against smokable forms of marijuana. They are also going to limit the amount of dispensaries that will be allowed to grow and sell the drug. Initially, there are going to be five organizations that will be allowed to dispense the drug at four different locations each. This means that there will be no more than 20 dispensaries across the state of New York, and the locations are going to be regulated so that they will be evenly distributed throughout the state.

Some people remain apprehensive that this amount of locations is going to be able to appropriately serve the amount of people who are eligible for the drug. The Department of Health is going to maintain authority over what diseases and conditions are going to be eligible for the NYS medical marijuana. Right now, the list includes:

Cancer

HIV or AIDS

Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease

Multiple Sclerosis

Spinal-Cord Injuries

Epilepsy

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Neuropathies

Huntington’s Disease

There are also five other conditions that are currently up in the air to receive status as diseases that would be eligible for NYS medical marijuana: Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy, dystonia, post-traumatic stress disorder and rheumatoid arthritis. The health commissioner will have until the end of the 18-month window to determine which, if any, of these five will become eligible.

It is important to note that some still remain cautious about the potential of this program. While The Medical Society of New York State applauded the efforts to pass the bill, they also want everyone to know that there is still some risk to this movement. They warn that there is still potential for addiction to marijuana, which means that the program will need to be monitored closely to ensure that the proper procedures are being followed.

The “Compassionate Care Act” Will:

Establish a certification and registry process for physicians to administer medical marijuana;

Put in place a process for patients to obtain, and manufacturers to dispense, medical marijuana;

Establish a Class-E felony for a practitioner that certifies an individual as eligible to facilitate the possession of medical marijuana if he or she knows or reasonably should know the person who is asking for it has no need for the medication;

Establish a misdemeanor offense for recipients of medical marijuana that sell or trade the medication; and

Create a 7% excise tax on every sale of medical marijuana by a registered organization to a certified patient or designated caregiver.

We applaud the bill’s sponsors, Senator Diane Savino and Assembly Member Dick Gottfried and the patients, family members and other advocates who worked so hard to secure its passage.

If you, or anyone you know, thinks that they are potentially eligible for medical marijuana, please visit www.marijuanaproducts.com to find a list of dispensaries as they open for business.

Marijuana’s (scientific name is Cannabis sativa) leaves, seeds, stems and/or roots are consumed by marijuana users for the intent of feeling intoxicated.

Marijuana is consumed for medical purposes, like for patients with nausea or poor appetite associated with AIDS or cancer treatment and is legal in a few states of the United States. Possession of marijuana, regardless of its purpose, is illegal in most jurisdictions. Marijuana is the most frequently abused illegal substance worldwide.

The history of marijuana goes back for thousands of years. It was only made illegal in many countries during the 20th century.

The use of medical marijuana is currently legal in 15 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. In those jurisdictions, people for whom medical marijuana has been specifically recommended by a physician must carry a (medical) marijuana card that specifies their use of the substance for a clear medical intention.

Experiments to completely legalize the use of marijuana, whether for medicinal purposes or not, remain vigorously contested in most jurisdictions.

While the sum of people who use marijuana at any one time does not seem to have increased substantially in the past decade, the number of people who have a marijuana-related disorder has increased significantly. This seems to be particularly true for elderly individuals as well as for young Hispanic and African-American adults

Medical marijuana, also called marinol (Dronabinol), is a synthetic form of marijuana. It comes in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg capsules and is used for the treatment of poor appetite and food intake (anorexia) with weight loss in people with acute immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and for the nausea and vomiting due to cancer chemotherapy in individuals who have not responded adequately to usual treatments for these syndromes.

The most common physical side effects of marinol include asthenia (lack of energy), stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, racing heart rate, facial flushing, and dizziness. The simplest psychological side effects of marinol include anxiety, sleepiness, confusion, hallucinations, and paranoia. This medication should therefore be used with caution in persons who have a mental-health diagnosis, particularly depression, mood swings, schizophrenia, or substance abuse.

There are a range of marijuana types, also called strains. Strains tend to be based on leaf color, as well as the strains’ potency and medical purpose. Medical strains of marijuana are specifically grown for a singularly for health benefit, like pain management or reduction of nausea. Marijuana dispensaries often sell hydroponic marijuana seeds through mail order, which can be grown in nutrient solution, with or without soil.

Marijuana’s effects on the body and brain of a developing fetus seem to be clearly unfavorable. Exposure to this substance before birth (prenatally) correlates with negative effects on fetal growth and body weight, as well as on the impulse control, focusing ability, learning, memory, and decision making in the child who was exposed to marijuana prior to birth. These negative effects by no means only affect babies who are exposed to marijuana before birth (in utero). Marijuana tends to negatively affect learning, judgment, and muscle skills in people who use marijuana by their own desire.

History of the Medical Use

The history of cannabis products and their use has been long, colorful and varied. “To the agriculturist, cannabis is a fiber crop; to the physician, it is an enigma; to the user, (a euphoriant); to the police, (a menace); to the trafficker, (a source of profitable danger); to the convict or parolee and his family, (a source of sorrow)” The fact is that cannabis has been held concurrently in high and low esteem at varied times throughout recorded history, particularly in our own times.

Cannabis sativa has been used therapeutically from the previous records, nearly 5,000 years ago, to the present day and its products have been extensively noted for their effects, both physiological and psychological, throughout the world. Although the Chinese and Indian cultures knew about the capital of this drug from very early times, this information did not become general in the Middle East until after the fifth century A.D., when travelers, traders and adventurers began to carry science of the drug westward to Persia and Arabia. Historian’s plea that cannabis was first employed in these countries as an antiseptic and analgesic.

Other medical uses were later developed and spread throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Several years after the return of Napoleon’s army from Egypt, cannabis became widely accepted by Western medical practitioners. Erstwhile, it had had limited use for such purposes as the treatment of burns. The scientific members of Napoleon’s forces were interested in the drug’s pain relieving and sedative effects

Paralleling the question over cannabis use in the latter half of the 19th century was the growing medical use of other medications superior to cannabis in their effects and more easily controlled as to dose. Consequently, medical use of cannabis declined and cannabis began to lose support of the medical profession.

In the US Marijuana occupies a sensitive position, and the term means something more than just a plant, and even more than just a drug, since there is the issue of legalizing Marijuana for medical purposes. This new legislature is complicated, especially because the population is divided in pro and contra categories. This division happens because USA is one of the moist commercial places where Marijuana is being sold and used. There is an increasing number of population who is overusing this plant, and therefore many people don’t want to hear about legalized Marijuana.

Marijuana represents the leaves of the Cannabis sativa plants, and it contains over 500 chemicals, including THC, which is the main psychoactive chemical. This plant impairs the memory during usage, and it also affects attention and judgment.

What is medical Marijuana?

Just as mentioned before, there is a division among the American population, and unfortunately many people don’t want to hear about the benefic medical effects of this plant. Even if its main usage shouldn’t be promoted anywhere, one should never ignore the medical usage, especially when there can be made a difference. There are many benefic usages for medical Marijuana, and therefore there are many states which agreed to legalize it. Medical Marijuana is right now under the attention of the researchers who found out many useful medical properties that could be used in medicine, and therefore right now there is a high interest regarding the subject.

What are the states where is used medical Marijuana?

Nowadays there are several states who use Marijuana for medical purposes such as Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. These states acknowledge the benefits of this plant, and therefore they are decided to give it a try. Those who love humanity know that sometimes hard decisions have to be taken in order to make some good. Those state which have decided to legalize marijuana have taken the right decision because the individual’s wellness should be more important than anything else. Coming to this decision is actually a compromise, and people should accept it.

What are the benefits of medical Marijuana?

For those who don’t know, there are studies proving that Marijuana can stop HIV from spreading throughout the body. It also slows the progression of Alzheimer’s and the spread of cancer cells. Many people already know that it is an active pain reliever, having more powerful effects than the aspirin. Besides all these benefic effects, it also combats psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, or ADHD. There are certain connections between the use of Marijuana and the levels of insulin, so it is said that cannabis lowers insulin levels.

As you can see, there are many benefits concerning this highly criticized plant which is only now seen in a different way. After so many years of prohibition, its qualities are finally recognized. Medical Marijuana is right now in the center of media’s attention.